March 5, 2004

I’ve heard Democrats say that Republicans are too religious. In fact, I’ve said it myself. But that’s kind of silly when you think about it, since almost all Republicans and Democrats and Independents in the United States are religious, and Republican politicians take a backseat to nobody in disrespecting religion.

I myself speak to God on a regular basis, and He told me recently that He did not approve of a plaque He saw hanging in the Oval Office with these words read more

March 5, 2004

Democrats are lovers, not fighters. We’re the party of disarmament, and we’re disarming at parties. We understand that all politics is intimate and that abstinence is not the answer. ReDefeatBush.com, the website of the Committee to ReDefeat the President, is working to register a million new Democrats in swing states, and is funding the project in part through the sale of high quality condoms labeled “ReDefeat Bush – Don’t Get Screwed Again!”

The read more

Also published on http://www.buzzflash.com

March 11, 2004

The marches and demonstrations against the Iraq war have apparently not yet altered the course of that war. I plan to march on March 20th in hopes that we finally can change the behavior of the U.S. government. But marching alone will not do it.

Already we have, of course, impacted the content of the U.S. mass media, in particular through the positions taken by various presidential campaigns, including to some extent those of candidates who read more

Also published on http://www.truthout.org and on http://www.buzzflash.com and on http://www.liberaltimes.com

March 15, 2004

If terrorists draw the lesson from Spain that mass murder can change an election, then the United States, among other countries, could be in for a terrible October surprise. But it seems likely that a terrorist act in the United States aimed at defeating President Bush at the polls would instead ensure his reelection.

The Spanish immediately reacted to the bombing in Madrid read more

Also published at http://www.liberaltimes.com

March 19, 2004

WARNING: Kerry does not actually talk like this. But he should.

The following was found on a CD in Boston Commons and was later verified to have originated in the John Kerry for President campaign.

Draft Convention Speech, Depending.

Thank you. And thank you for your fine speeches, Teddy, Nancy, Al, Howard, Dennis, Ralph. Thank you, Ralph, especially, for joining our effort to rid this nation of a tyrant. We haven’t overthrown a King read more

March 29, 2004

Also published April 8th on http://www.truthout.org

Global warming is a far bigger threat than global terrorism, according to Tony Blair’s chief scientific advisor, David King. Global warming is likely to lead to economic catastrophe and wars over diminished resources according to a report commissioned by that group of flaming liberals, the U.S. Department of Defense.

The unelected president of the United States, following the lead of ExxonMobil, denies the danger of global read more

April 5, 2004

Also published on BartCop and OpEdNews

The internet has not yet reshaped politics in any fundamental way, and its failure to do so constitutes a powerful argument for reform of the television, newspaper, and radio media. In his recent book “Politics Moves Online,” George Washington University professor Michael Cornfield claims that “the more activists a campaign ensnares in its network-on-the-Net, the more money and volunteer hours it will collect, and the more voters read more

April 5, 2004

When most people hear of utilitarianism these days in the United States, if they think of anyone they think of the admirable Peter Singer, or perhaps of John Stuart Mills. When we hear of Jeremy Bentham, we think first – if of anything at all – of Michel Foucault’s critique of the panopticon. We could do better by Bentham and by ourselves.

Foucault, of course, used Bentham’s design of the panopticon ( a building in which a guard in the middle can observe prisoners read more

April 12, 2004

Also published at http://www.democraticunderground.com

Because I’m convinced that the current occupant of the White House is off-the-charts, beyond-the-pale, outside-the-normal-range worse than any of his predecessors, I am continually amazed when I meet people who oppose Bush in the strongest terms and then indicate their plans to vote for Nader or another third-party candidate or to not vote at all, but certainly not to pour their hearts and souls into winning votes for Kerry. read more

April 19, 2004

Senator Kerry has the Democratic nomination wrapped up. I and many others for whom he was not the first choice are now working as hard as we can to win him votes. So is Dennis Kucinich. While most people never knew Kucinich was in the race, those who follow progressive politics closely know that he is STILL in it, pushing to make Kerry’s platform more progressive. What many progressives understand is that this is the politically smart move for the Democratic party.

Surveys read more